Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for securing pipes to a wall, and more particularly, to a bracket for securing a pipe a short distance away from a vertical wall.
Description of Related Art
Modern buildings and homes have complex piping systems or networks involving extensive use of pipes. Pipes in homes and buildings can be very heavy due to their constructed material, such as metal gas pipes, and also are heavy due to the material they transport, such as water in sewer pipes. Securing such heavy pipes to a vertical wall using cost efficient materials and using minimal wall mounting surface area can be a challenge. Over an extended period of time and changing temperatures, mounting brackets can become weakened and damaged. The construction industry currently uses mounting structures that frequently fail to prevent costly repairs due to the expansion and contraction of pipes resulting from changing temperatures.
Furthermore, water pipes continuously exert stress on mounting structures due to the variations in the weight of the pipes from varying levels of water flow and significant vibrations caused by water flow starting and stopping within the pipes. Currently the construction industry typically uses nails, screws and simple J-shaped mounting brackets to secure pipes to a building structure, such as a vertical wall, which can result in a loss of the desired gradient of the piping system, or a complete failure of the mounting structures that secure pipes to a wall. Additionally, by mounting pipes directly against a vertical wall, the piping path and gradient can be disrupted due to the larger diameter of the pipes at the pipe connections and joints.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a cost effective and space efficient mounting apparatus or bracket that can be relied upon to securely mount pipes to a vertical wall for many years and be able withstand the changing ambient temperatures and vibrational stresses associated with piping networks in building structures.